Attachment device for wrist watch straps and the like



Oct. 23, 1934-. s. H. PARVIN 1,978,029

ATTACHMENT DEVICE FOR WRIST WATCH STRAPS AND THE LIKE Filed March 23, 1934 0 U I 0 0 II 0 0 I I 0 7 8 w i ha E10, 5.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 23, 1934 PATENT GFFHQE ATTACHMENT DEVICE FOR WRIST WATCH STRAPS AND THE LIKE Stanley HQParvin, Bellevue, Ky., assignor to The ,Wadsworth Watch Case Company, Dayton,

Ky., a corporation of Kentucky Application March 23, 1934, Serial No. 717,057

, 7 Claims. (01. 24-265) My invention pertains to that class of structure whereby a strap or the like is attached to a wrist watch. and. while not confined thereto but useful for the attachment of bands or straps to f other articles of jewelry or the like, it will be described in connection with wrist watches. Hitherto the practice has been to provide interspaced ears at the sides; or ends of a wrist watch case, the ears being perforated, and then I to attach the strap thereto, by means of a spring pin of complicated structure. The spring pin has in general, comprised a hollow cylindrical sheath or,bar of approximately the width of the st ap, w th sp sjpres edpluns therein ing. pins extending out of either end of the sheath. In use the attachment device is inserted, as is well known, in the loop of the strap, the pins are depressed by being pushedback into the sheath, and the. sheath is positioned between the ears on the watch case. The pins thereupon spring outwardly and enter the holes in the ea i Y While other suggestions have been made, the commercial art has substantially in its entirety,

used the type'of attachment device hereinabove referred to, and it is the usual practice of the watch case manufacturer to supply these pins with the case. The pins are of relatively expensive construction, and it frequently happens, particularly inthe marketing of base metal watch cases, which are today sold in great numbers, that the cost of the pins equals or exceeds the cost of the watch case. Where cases are sold as such, to a manufacturer who inserts the move-. ments therein, this condition is anomalous; but the practical art does not appear hitherto to have devised a satisfactory solution for it.

It is an object of my invention to provide an attachment device for the purpose described, which is extremely simple in construction and extremely inexpensive. It is anobject of my invention to provide an attachment device which consists ofbut a singlemetal piece, for use in connection with a watch case or the like, having a suitable attachment ear or ears. It is an object of my invention to provide a device in which, in spite of marked simplification of structure, the element of safety is not diminished.

These and other objects of my invention which will be set forth hereinafter, or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which I shall now set forth certain exemplary embodiments in the use aforesaid.

Reference is made to the drawing, wherein:-.

Figure 1 is a plan-view with parts in section of a wrist watch and strap with which my invention is embodied.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan-view of a wrist watch having. a modification of my attachment structure.

Figure 4 is a side view thereof.

Figure 5 shows the type of pin which I employ in the device of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is the type of pin which I employ in the device of Figure 3.

:Briefly, in the practice of my invention, I provide a wrist watch or similar article of personal adornment or utility, with a perforated ear or ears at its ends. I next provide a pin of anormal diameter to pass through the hole in the ear or ears. The pin has a reduced portion terminating in sharp shoulders. The pin is inserted in the loop of the strap and throughthe ear or ears, to such position that its reduced portion engages in the hole in the ear. The thickness of the strap exerts a resilient force between the case of the wrist watch and the pin, such as to urge the pin outwardly from the watch case in such a way that the shoulders on the pin engage the sides of the ear and prevent longitudinal displacement of the pin.

I have shown in Figure l, a watch case indicated generally at 1, the sides of thewatch case being indicated at 2. In this style of case, ears 3 project out at either end of the sides 2. It will be understood that the particular type of watch case shown is not a limitation on my invention. Strap members are indicated at 4 and 5 in Figure 1. Ihave shown in Figure 5 a pin 6 having reduced or grooved portions 7 near its ends, preferably leaving unreduced portions 8 at its actual ends. As shown in Figure 1, this pin 6 may be inserted through perforations 9 in the ears 3, and through the loop of the wrist watch strap 4. This loop portion is indicated at 10. When the pin is in the position shown, the portion 10 causes a downward displacement of the pin as shown in the figure, so that the reduced portions thereof '7, are the portions which engage in the holes 9 in the ears on the watch case. The shoulders on the pin 6 formed adjacent the grooved portions '7 abut the outer and inner edges of i the ears'3 and prevent longitudinal displacement of the pin 6, so long as it is downwardly depressed 6. It is enough if the thickness of the portion 10 is suiiieient so that it must be compressed in order to permit the axis oi the pin 6, to he brought into alignment with the axis of the perforations 5 9, in the ears 3. I have indicated at 11, in Figure 2, a slight space between the edge 2 of the watch case and the loop portion of the strap, but it will be seen that the depth of this space-is much less than the displacement of the pin 6 in the holes 3.

A construction of this kind has the advantage of extreme simplicity and extreme ease of assembly. It is very easy to attach a wrist watch strap to a watch in accordance with my invention, but it requires careful handling to detach it. This increases the factor of safety, and I have found in practice that there is no possibility of the accidental dislodgment of the pin and the consequent freeing of the watch from the strap. The type of strap shown in my drawing is a leather strap of ordinary formation. It will be understood however, that my attachment device is not limited to the use of leather straps, but may be employed with other types of fastening devices. The sole necessity is that the strap or equivalent device, be compressible or have resilient means tending to prevent the return of the pin to a position preventing its lengthwise withdrawal from the ears.

I have shown in Figure 3 a watch case 12, having but one central ear 13 at either end thereof. Strap members are indicated at 14 and 15, cen-. trally notched as at 14c and 15a to accept the ears. In a construction of this character I use a type of pin such as is shown at 16 in Figure 6, having a centrally reduced portion 17. This portion engages in the cars 13 in the same way as has been described in connection with the construction of Figure l. The inter-engagement of the several parts will be clear without further. description. Preferably the diameter of the unreduced portions of the pins will be substantially equal to that of the holes in the ear or ears, so that the pin must be brought into exact alignment before it can be withdrawn. Thus any displacement of the pin with respect to the ears, however slight, will prevent lengthwise withdrawal thereof, and will give a securely anchored strap.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. In attachment means for the purpose described, a body having an ear with a perforation, a strap to be attached to said body, a pin adapted to pass through the perforation in said ear, said pin having means to engage said ear upon displacement of said pin to prevent endwise withdrawal of said pin, and means on said strap to maintain said pin in displaced position.

2. In combination a body, a strap member to be attached thereto, an ear on said body, said ear having a perforation, a pin of a size to pass through said perforation and having a reduced portion, and means on said strap for engaging said pin and for holding said pin in displaced position with reference to said ear, with its reduced portion passing through said perforation.

3. In combination a watch case, centrally disposed ears at opposite sides of said watch case, each of said ears having a perforation, strap members for attachment to said watch case, said strap members having loops and centrally notched portions to receive said ears, and pins passing through said loops and through the perforations of said ears, said pins having centrally reduced portions in engagement with said ears, the loops of said straps serving to maintain said pins in displaced position with reference to said ears.

4. In combination a watch case, centrally disposed ears at opposite sides of said watch case, each of said ears having a perforation, strap members for attachment to said watch case, said strap members having loops and centrally notched portions to receive said ears, and pins passing through said loops and through the perforations of said ears, said pins having centrally reduced portions in engagement with said ears, the loops of said straps serving to maintain said pins in displaced position with reference to said ears, said reduced portions of said pins terminating in sharp 105 shoulders interspaced substantially the thickness of said ears.

5. In combination a watch case, a pair of interspaced ears at either end thereof, each having a perforation, and strap members for attachment 110 to said watch case, said strap members having loops, unitary metallic pins passing through said loops, said pins having reduced portions engaging in said perforations in said ears.

6. In combination a watch case, a pair of in- 115 terspaced cars at either end thereof, each having a perforation and strap members for attachment to said watch case, said strap members having loops, unitary metallic pins passing through said loops, said pins having reduced portions engaging 120 in said perforations in said ears, said reduced portions of said pins terminating in sharp shoulders interspaced substantially the thickness of said ears, said loops adapted to hold said pins in displaced position with reference to said perforations in said ears.

'7. In combination a body, a member to be attached thereto, at least one ear on said body, said ear having a perforation, a pin of substantially the same diameter as that of said perforation, said pin having a portion of smaller diameter terminating in shoulders, means on said member for engaging said pin, and means for holding said pin with its reduced portion in engagement with said ear in such a way that the axis of said pin is displaced from the axis of the perforation in said ear.

STANLEY H. PAR/VIN. 

